Unbeaten Lions blitz Sharks
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:26
Chasing the game: Lions flyer Lee Byrne races clear - Pic: Rian Botes
The British and Irish Lions not only retained their unbeaten record on their South African safari, but they also sent out a strong warning about their Test credentials with a comprehensive 39-3 win over the Sharks in Durban on Wednesday.
Following a very ordinary first half, the B&I Lions cut loose after the break with four well-executed tries that would have made the Springboks sit up and take note.
It was a very productive third quarter that was the hallmark of the game - with the tourists scoring 18 points in 20 minutes - to go from 7-3 at the break and eventually winning by 36 points.
The tourists were very clinical in sealing the win, scoring another two tries in the final quarter - one right on the final hooter - as they kept the home side tryless.
The Sharks were under a lot of early pressure, partly through sloppy play, but mostly as a result of the Lions dominating possession.
There were promising moments, such as a strong run by Jamie Roberts, when he bust clean through in the midfield. But almost without fail the Sharks' cover defence stopped the tourists in their tracks in the first period.
While the Lions dominated territory and possession, forcing the Sharks to make more than 50 tackles in the first half, they simply did not turn their time in the attack zone into points.
Coach Ian McGeechan would have been bitterly disappointed with his team's very poor conversion rate - considering they had 80 percent of the possession in the first 40 minutes.
The big positive for the home team is that the Sharks showed that with good physical defence you can make the Lions look ordinary on attack.
In fact the Lions showed their respect for the Sharks' defence by opting for cross-field kicks towards the latter end of the first half.
The other area of concern for the visitors would have been the scrums, a messy set-piece area where the Lions were most often penalised.
However, the manner in which the tourists turned it on in the second 40 will ensure the Boks put in the hard yards in the next 10 days ahead of the opening Test - at the same venue.
This Lions team has a sound set of forwards, nothing flash, but certainly very solid.
But it is behind the pack where players like Brian O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts will pose the real threats with their brilliant running lines and awesome creative play.
The B&I Lions made their intentions clear from the outset, when a penalty within range was turned into a line-out. But the Sharks managed to not only halt the tourists' progress, but also turned the ball over.
And the tourists went over the line twice inside the first 10 minutes, but the Sharks managed to keep the score sheet clean by holding up the ball.
When the Sharks did get their hands on the ball in that first quarter, they often handed it back to the Lions with poor kicking.
The Lions continued to opt for line-outs, instead of taking penalty kicks at goal, and it eventually paid dividends in the 23rd minute - when from a line-out maul, which turned into a ruck, hooker Lee Mears flopped over for the first try. Ronan O'Gara added the conversion and at 7-0 the tourists finally had some reward for their honest endeavour.
Right on the half-hour mark the Sharks had their first shot at points, a penalty against the Lions for Adam Jones collapsing a scrum on the tighthead side. Rory Kockott slotted it from just outside the 22-metre area and at 3-7 the Sharks would have been very relieved with how the match was progressing - considering the territory and possession belonged to the visitors.
With just over two minutes to the half to go, Ronan O'Gara opted for another cross-field kick, but wing Shane Williams knocked it on in the in-goal area - leaving the Lions to ponder how they managed to have only a four-point (7-3) lead after their first-half dominance.
The early moments of the second half proved to be far more productive for the visitors, as scrumhalf Mike Phillips went on a weaving run from a ruck and caught the Sharks defence asleep, scoring his team's second try. O'Gara couldn't add the extras, but at 12-3 the Lions would have been a far happier group..
Kockott had a chance to narrow the gap two minutes later, but his 45-metre effort went just under the crossbar.
In fact it was O'Gara who scored the next points - a couple of penalties, the first when the Sharks went offside and the next for killing the ball - 18-3 to the tourists.
Just on the hour mark Luke Fitzgerald scored the try that put the game out of reach for the Sharks, after a moment of individual brilliance by centre Brian O'Droscoll - who set off on a great run down the left flank. O'Gara's conversion made it 25-3.
With about 12 minutes left on the clock fullback Lee Byrne went over for try number four as the Sharks' error rate crept up and the tourists started to revel in the space and time that were now available to them. O'Gara's conversion made it a commanding 32-3.
There was a late score, right on the full-time hooter, for Jamie Heaslip and James Hook added the conversion to give the Lions their 39-3 scoreline at the end - a result which certainly didn't seem possible at half-time.
Man of the match: There was only one team in the race for this award. The Lions had some real toilers up front - such as captain Paul O'Connell with his high work rate. There was also impressive running by Lee Byrne and Jamie Roberts. However, our award goes to B&I Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll, who turned it on when it mattered most and produced some brilliant running lines. He is indeed going to be a handful for the Springboks..
Moment of the match: The most crucial play of the match was Mike Phillips try in the 43rd minute, which set the Lions on their way to a comprehensive victory. However, for sheer delight and entertainment the moment goes to Sharks replacement Lwazi Mvovo, who hunted down Bryan O'Driscoll after he intercepted inside his own 22 and looked like racing clear.
Villain of the match: There were two yellow cards, both for foul play - so Lions prop Phil Vickery and Sharks No.8 Keegan Daniel share this award. It was an otherwise hard, but clean spirited game.
The scorers:
For the Sharks:
Pen: Kockott
For the B&I Lions:
Tries: Mears, Phillips, Fitzgerald, Byrne, Heaslip
Cons: O'Gara 3, Hook
Pens: O'Gara 2
Yellow cards: Phil Vickery B&I Lions, 76 - foul play), Keegan Daniel (Sharks, 79 - foul play)
Teams:
The Sharks: 15 Stefan
Terblanche, 14 Chris Jordaan, 13 Andries Strauss, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Luzuko Vulindlu, 10 Monty Dumond, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Guy Cronjé, 22 Lwazi Mvovo.
British & Irish Lions: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Shane Williams, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Luke Fitzgerald , 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Alun-Wyn Jones, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Phil Vickery, 18 Simon Shaw, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Mike Blair, 21 Riki Flutey, 22 James Hook.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Assistant
referee: Wayne Barnes (England), Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
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